Donna, Heather, Trisch and I released our first Forti-fy podcast!

 

We are really excited to have you join us as we talk our way through many different conversations that are all part of “forti-fying” the community around us!

COVID 19 has some parents wondering if homeschooling might be a good option for their family. That can have them asking the question, “How do we do that?”

So, here we gathered around Donna’s kitchen table (where everything gets done in a homeschooling day!), and walked through our combined 120 years of homeschooling with our 38 kids.  We share what has been most helpful for us and encourage both new, and veteran, homeschooling moms to keep on keeping on!

 

 

Listed below are all the items we discussed in the podcast. 

Again, one of the main points we mentioned was to be in community! If you live within our listening area, please be sure to check out the FWAHS (Fort Wayne Area Home Schools) and DASH (Dekalb Indiana Area Schools at Home). There are SO MANY RESOURCES for you and your kids! If you ask a question in any of these groups, you will get an answer!

Please note also that the Forti-fy podcast can be found on most podcasting platforms.

Click on links below:

Fort Wayne Area Home School Facebook page (FWAHS)

FWAHS Website

DASH  (Dekalb Area Schoolers at home) Facebook Group Page

DASH – DeKalb, Indiana Area Schools at Home

DASH Website

You can also join the Forti-fy’rs Facebook group page:

 https://www.facebook.com/getfortifyed/ 

LINKS FOR DONNA’S FREEBIES, WEBINARS, AND SERVICES

This was the webinar Donna had discussed in the podcast:

homeschoolbacktobasics.com

PLEASE NOTE! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HOMESCHOOL CLASSES OFFERED BY DONNA, SIGN UP SOON!

Local to Fort Wayne? Character Ink Cottage Classes and Half-Day Homeschool Info can be found here: characterinkblog.com/localclasses  

Online writing classes for small groups and co-op classes: writeforamonth.com/createaclass

Homeschooling and parenting help: characterinkblog.com

Language arts training for teachers/parents and downloadable writing books: writeforamonth.com

Free webinars for homeschoolers/teaching parents: helpyourkidswithschool.com 

Weight/Time/Life Coaching for Moms: donnareish.com/coaching

Heather’s Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lovemybigfamily/?hl=en

Trisch’s  Website:

https://be-youthful-n-fit.teachable.com/

Check out this Forti-fy blog post with more info on local classes and Co-ops:

Area Homeschool Co-ops and classes

Other Local Co-ops:

Life Adventures has so much great info on their site!

Life Adventures Resources

Northside Co-op:

https://northsidehomeschool.org/

Northeast Homeschool Family Co-op:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1014680318629035/

Kroeker Homeschool Academy:

Kroeker Homeschool Academy

Doorposts Homeschool Co-op-Northeast Indiana:

https://www.facebook.com/doorpostshomeschoolcoop/

 

This is the chart I discussed in the podcast that was helfpul for cirriculum choices based on your teaching style:

To sum up, in the podcast, Trisch talks about her oldest daughter, who was in the midst of trying to graduate during their year of  constant “accidents.” Although, they were concerned about checking off all the academic boxes in order for her to graduate, they were most interested in character development and her ability to achieve goals.  I just wanted to share this story that posted yesterday in an aviation journal.  I think it would be a great article to share with any of your kids to let them know “Dreams do come true!”

 

How Will This Information Change You?

How Will This Information Change You?

Do You Know Who Those Above Names Belong To?

For several weeks I have been back to researching some questions in keeping up with the vaccine conversation.   As I discussed in my previous vaccine post, the issue of vaccine choice will continue to be a heated topic, especially now in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic.

I had set out to compile more studies on vaccine safety data. In doing so, I ran across information about Stanley Plotkin. Some of you may have already heard of him. Dr. Plotkin is considered the Godfather of Vaccines. And for good reason. I could not convey in words what this video communicates so clearly.

Click on photo to watch. Please do not skip watching this video, as it is crucial to understating the importance and influence this man has.

Click HERE to watch video.

Clearly Dr. Plotkin has established himself as one of the most accomplished scientists in the area of vaccinology.

So, How did I come across him?

As I was looking at more data on vaccine safety studies, the issue of aborted babies used for vaccines continually came up.   I had known for many years that aborted babies had been used in several vaccines, to some degree. It wasn’t until last week that I began to see the picture a little differently.

In digging into a little more research on this topic, I came across a deposition Dr. Plotkin gave which was intended to be used in a Michigan court case, Matheson V. Schmidt. This case involved Lori Matheson and her ex-husband Michael Schmitt. At issue was the right to decide if their 2-year-old daughter should be vaccinated. Matheson had two objections. First, she did not want their daughter, Faith, to receive her vaccines because she was concerned about an autoimmune disease that runs in her family and how a vaccine might negatively affect Faith. Secondly, she had claimed a religious exemption for vaccines because of the use of aborted fetuses.

I give the background of this case only for the purposes of explaining why Stanley Plotkin was being deposed.

He was asked to testify as an expert witness on vaccines by Dr. Paul Offit, who is also known as an expert in his knowledge on vaccines.

Dr. Plotkin’s Testimony

As it turned out, after being deposed for over 9 hours, Dr. Plotkin recused himself from the case, so the judge never heard his testimony.

After watching these videos you will have some insight as to why he decided to recuse himself.

Please do not skip past these videos or fast-forward through them, every word is important. If you are concerned about any edits being made, or Plotkin taken out of context, you can click here for the full deposition. Click on the photo below to start listening to him describe the contents of vaccines and the use of aborted babies in vaccines and vaccine research:

In this video, Dr. Plotkin talks about his research using orphans and the medically handicapped in experimental vaccines:

A Few Comments

First, I do not wish to make any character assumptions about Dr. Plotkin. My main objective was for people to hear him in his own words and to know the ideology from which he works from, since his products affect millions of people. However, I do think it is important to remember Dr. Paul Offit’s words from the above video:

“He (Dr. Plotkin) has trained a generation of scientists, including myself, to think like he thinks.”

Secondly, I would like to briefly address Dr. Plotkin’s comments regarding the Catholic Church, only because he specifically brings it up.  He seems, to some degree, imply that the Catholic Church accepts the use of vaccines that contain aborted babies. I am not Catholic, but I think that his comments may be a bit of an ”overstatement” of the Catholic Church’s position. In it’s letter on this subject (click here to read), the Catholic Church gives “passive material cooperation,” for getting vaccines, but to “make a conscientious objection with regard to those which have moral problems” ….” as is up to the faithful and citizens of upright conscience (fathers of families, doctors, etc.) to oppose, even by making an objection of conscience, the ever more widespread attacks against life and the “culture of death” which underlies them  (vaccines).”

That said, the letter does seem to suggest that it is “permissible” to use vaccines with aborted babies when there is no other choice. It states: “However, if the latter are exposed to considerable dangers to their health, vaccines with moral problems pertaining to them may also be used on a temporary basis.”

I am not sure what is meant by a “temporary basis”, as we are now 15 years past the date of that letter; henceforth I would like to make an appeal not only to all my Catholic friends, but my friends of ALL denominations of the church, to consider, indeed, the “culture of death” in which we find ourselves. And what our participation is with that culture.

Plotkin’s Vaccine Study

The Rubella vaccine alone used 76 (The number Plotkin gave in his deposition) aborted babies for research  – again that is for just one vaccine.

“The rubella virus clinically named RA273 (R=Rubella, A=Abortus, 27=27th fetus, 3=3rd tissue explant) was then cultivated on the WI-38 aborted fetal cell line.”

A later research paper by Stanley Plotkin would reveal that 40 more babies were aborted after RA273 was successfully isolated, with virus strains taken from 34 of them.

See Study here:

**********

The MRC-5 cell line was developed in September 1966 from lung tissue taken from a 14 week aborted baby.

As I sat down to write this post, after reading a plethora of articles and studies, my primary thought was,”What ethic are we anchored in?”

I was reminded of the videos that came out in 2015 showing how Planned Parenthood was selling fetal parts from abortions for medical research.

Please note: My intent here is NOT to talk about the legality of abortion, Planned Parenthood or anything surrounding these tapes. My motivation for putting them in this post is simply to show where we are at in regards to our collective consciousness.  Our willingness to accept aborted baby cells in our vaccines plays a role in what we accept as a culture.

This is an excerpt from a note I wrote to members of my family back in 2015 in regards to the videos below:

“If you have not seen these videos, but you think you can imagine what is in them-you cannot. You need to watch them. We cannot turn away from the reality of what is happening in our culture.”

Click on each photo to watch what the conscience of our culture has become. Please do not pass by these without watching. These videos segments are very short – between 36 seconds to a little over 1 minute.

What is utterly stunning here is how she is clearly enjoying lunch in the midst of this conversation:

All 12 videos in this series can be found at here at the Center for Medical Progress.

What is the moral ethic we are anchored in? Is it simply that the end justifies the means? Do we not see how decisions made out of expediency will only continue to slide us further into “the culture of death?”

And for those that decide that they cannot in good conscience receive this vaccine due to their religious convictions, does the government have the right to overrule that conviction?

These are questions for all of us.

I know that each one of us would affirm the noble cause of trying to find ways to eradicate disease. However, I think we simultaneously need to ask ourselves, “At what cost?”

The Use of New Fetal Tissue Continues

As I implied above, there has not been a “temporary use” of vaccines. And not only has there not been a temporary use, there has been a continued new production:

Walvax-2

“We obtained 9 fetuses through rigorous screening based on carefully specified inclusion criteria (see Methods section). The Walvax-2 strain of cells met all of these criteria and proved to be the best cell line following careful evaluation. Therefore it was used for establishing a human diploid cell strain.”

“Superduper”

“The PER.C6 cell line is a superduper and commercial available manufacturing system that can be used to produce a variety of biopharmaceutical products, including vaccines..”(Link Here)

“The PER.C6 cell line is derived from human embryonic retinal cells, originally from the retinal tissue of an 18 week old fetus aborted in 1985…”

Potential Adverse Health Consequences of Using Aborted Human Cell Lines for Vaccine Production.

Dr. Theresa Deisher, a graduate with honors and distinction from Stanford University, and obtained her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Physiology from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, concluded in this study that “vaccines manufactured in human fetal cell lines contain unacceptably high levels of fetal DNA fragment contaminants.”

To read more about Dr. Deisher’s extensive professional background and her testimony on Conscious Rights, click here.

I have addressed the concerns of vaccine safety in a previous post, found here, and will be reviewing additional studies in an upcoming post.

Current Vaccine Ingredients

Here is a link to the Vaccine Excipient Summary  from the CDC which lists all ingredients.

You will find MRC-5 or WI-38 which contains RA27/3, Human Serum Albumin in the following vaccines:

  • Adenovirus
  • DTaP-IPV/Hib (Pentacel)
  • DTaP-IPV (Quadracel)
  • Hep A (Havrix)
  • Hep A (Vaqta)
  • Hep A/Hep B (Twinrix)
  • MMR (MMR-II)
  • MMRV (ProQuad)
  • Rabies (Imovax)
  • Varicella (Varivax)
  • Zoster (Shingles – Zostavax).

There are so many issues that need to be addressed that are, for the moment, beyond the scope of this post.

However, there are a few thoughts that I would like to add, before bringing this to a close, for now.

The mother of the aborted baby (WI-38), whose cells have been used to create vaccines, was never informed of what happened to her baby. There was no “Informed Consent.” That may very well be true of the mother of RA27/3, and who knows how many others.

This from Slate:

“After the abortion, her 8-inch-long, female fetus was taken without her knowledge and its lungs dissected at the famous Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. The tiny purplish organs were packed on ice and flown to the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, where a biologist named Leonard Hayflick cut them into innumerable pieces the size of match heads.”

What is interesting to note, and sad, in the above article from Slate, is that the focus was not so much that the baby had been “chopped up”, but rather, the lack of compensation given to the mother, while the pharmaceutical companies made billions.

Why is all this of particular relevance now?

Certainly this should have always been of importance to us, but honestly many people may not be fully aware of this information.

Now however, in addition to all the ethical issues, we may be facing the potential of legal challenges. I would like to point out that over the last few years, 5 states have eliminated religious exemptions (See here ). It is predicted more will continue to do so in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.

This video recently went viral due to constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz’s comments. Though some write off his comments, there are many others who feel very much like he does. He affirms that the U.S. government has the constitutional authority to mandate vaccines. “You have NO right NOT to be vaccinated.”

Click HERE to view. It is about 1 minute in length.

“Don’t Worry, It’s All Good.” Really?

In my researching, I came across an article that stated:

“So let’s look back at what is the story of fetal tissue used in the development of vaccines and why it is not something to worry about.”

It is my sincere hope that that is not where you find yourself after reading through this post.

I can only speak from my Christian perspective. From what the story is that I have just looked back at and examined, my assessment would be just the opposite.

That is, unless we decide do something with what is before us. What will you do with this information? Has it changed you?

Additional Reading

I am going to leave it here for now.  If you have not read my first post on this subject, I would strongly encourage you to review it so that you have a better understanding of this entire conversation. Click Here.

Information on the Covid-19 vaccine can be found here.

Discussion on the specific use of the Covid vaccine as it relates to ethical and moral concerns can be found here, here  and here.

We need to give serious attention to evaluating ways to accomplish the goal of health and safe immunity from disease that does not bring unnecessary harm to our bodies, and more importantly, to our souls.

Is God Sexist?

Is God Sexist?

If you are a woman reading this, I believe there is a pretty good chance that this question has run through your mind at some point in your life.

It was not until I was almost 30 before I had ever picked up a bible. Being new in the faith, and a busy mom there were many different issues I focused my attention on, but it wasn’t until my own daughters hit their early teens that I started delving into the topic of “God’s view of Women,” more deeply.

For me, at least for awhile, there were scripture passages that I had just put on the back burner, but I knew my daughters; I knew some of them were really going to have some serious difficulties with those tough passages we women all know – the ones that especially non-Christian women say prevent them from ever believing in the God of the bible.

And honestly, if not read in full cultural context, it is totally understandable why many women would feel that way. In addition, societally, within the church, this has not always been lived out well.

My goal in every post is to provide readers valuable and insightful resources on a topic. I thought these two recent podcast episodes with Dr. Jo Vitale, addressed this issue with breadth and depth.

Dr. Jo Vitale is Dean of Studies at the Zacharias Institute and an itinerant speaker for RZIM. Prior to joining the US team, Jo was a speaker for RZIM Europe, where she also served in teaching and pastoral roles at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.

During her time in Oxford, Jo graduated with a theology MA, an MSt in Biblical interpretation, and a DPhil (PhD) in theology, each from the University of Oxford. Interested in the questions surrounding sexism and the Bible, Jo wrote her doctoral dissertation on women in the Old Testament.

Dr. Juli Slattery is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker and the president/co-founder of Authentic Intimacy – a ministry devoted to reclaiming God’s design for sexuality. She earned her college degree at Wheaton College, an MA in psychology from Biola University, and an MS and a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology. Juli is the author of ten books, and host of the weekly podcast “Java with Juli.”

Here is the interview on “Javi with Juli”:

Here is the interview on “Ask Away”:

 

Both “Ask Away” and “Java with Juli” are two of my favorite podcasts as they deal extensively with the cultural topics of our time.

You can read about Juli’s book “Rethinking Sexuality” by clicking on the photo:

Another outstanding voice in this area is Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing. Amy is a senior vice president with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and Joint Director of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. She leads a team of pioneering apologist-evangelists and speaks around the world on how the Christian faith answers the deepest questions of life. Follow her Instagram here.

Dandelions: Weed, Flower, Herb or…Coffee Alternative?

Dandelions: Weed, Flower, Herb or…Coffee Alternative?

I remember when we first moved to the home where we currently live. Every spring, our acre front lawn is covered in this bright yellow…weed? flower? herb?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

One of my sons, who loves the look of a “perfect lawn”, has always despised the copious amounts of dandelions spread across the lawn.  He would align himself with Merriam Webster’s definition of a dandelion as a weed:

“A plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth.”

I, on the other hand, have come to enjoy the cheeriness of this bright yellow flower that covers the expanse, especially after the multitude of grey, dim late winter days that have stretched on for so long.

Since we have never used any type of chemicals on our grass, I have often pondered the question in my mind, “Surely there must be someone who would be interested in harvesting all these organic dandelions?”

Although, I have not set out on a venture to find a buyer for all these prolific flowers that grace our lawn, I have come to find out about how beneficial the dandelion can be – thus classifying it as an herb.

Years ago, I was having what I would term gall bladder pain. There is a bit of a long story here, but the bottom line is that I found out I was very sensitive to erythritol, a sugar substitute I was using, and that was causing the pain. However, in the process of researching how the gall bladder works and natural ways to keep it, and the liver, cleaned out, dandelion tea predominantly came out in the list of recommendations.

Click on this article to read more:

It was the desire for a healthy gall bladder that started me drinking dandelion tea, but what kept me drinking it was that I was also trying to reduce my coffee intake, especially decaf at night. And to my surprise – and delight – roasted dandelion tea embodies a similar flavor to coffee!

“Roasted dandelion root has a satisfying coffee taste and is herbal so there’s no stimulating caffeine,”

Katie Wells from “Wellness Mama” talks about this topic here, where she shares that dandelion root tea is her favorite coffee substitute due to its earthy taste.

She also shares a recipe for Iced Lime and Dandelion Tea. I think I’ll check this one out soon, as well!

For those of you who are interested in making you own dandelion tea, which I think I will try this spring, you can check out this video.

My favorite brand of dandelion tea brand is Traditional Medicinals Organic Roasted Dandelion Root. If you are local, I usually buy it at Kroger, otherwise I order it through Amazon.

I try not to use dairy, although I absolutely LOVE half-and-half!  Thanks to fellow forti-fy’r mom, Heather, I have found the delight of Nut Pods! It is half the calories of my beloved half-and half and has a great taste. It comes in original, hazelnut or vanilla flavors.

Although I typically just have the tea with a bit of the nut pod creamer, when I am looking for a “sweet treat”, I also add a cinnamon stick and a bit of honey – or a few drops of stevia – and just a pinch of pink Himalayan salt. It is a perfect late afternoon or evening “yum” – and every sip gives health to your body!

So, although my son would still classify a dandelion as a weed, my definition of a dandelion would definitely include a life-giving herb with a cheery disposition!

Since I am talking “Tea” today, I just wanted to share some absolutely lovely drawings I saw this week by fellow forti-fy’r, Mica Garbarino. Every time Mica shares her artwork on Facebook, I am amazed at her creativity and talent –   oh how I wish I could draw like this!

Seep up your favorite flavor of tea and enjoy these drawings!

Aren’t these just so delightful?! Thank you Mica, for forti-fy’ing the space around you with beauty!

A few days ago, I posted this quote from N.T. Wright, in the Forti-fy’rs Facebook group:

“We have in the New Testament a vision of new creation. ⁣⁣⁣Paul says if anyone is in Christ, then there is new creation. ⁣⁣

Ephesians 2:10 We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ⁣⁣

The word for “workmanship” there in the original Greek is “poiema”. It is the word, which we get the word poem. We are, if you like, God’s ARTWORK, God’s POEM, God’s SONG, God’s SYMPHONY.⁣⁣

“We as human beings are to be the people through whom God’s fresh ordering of the world can take place. Paul does not mean we were made for just good moral works, that we should just do some good deeds here and there in order to earn favor, or indeed, we should just behave ourselves

He means we should also be creative.

We should be people of new creation, able to do new things – to write new books, to sing new songs, to plant new gardens, to do new building, to teach new things – that we should be people of new creation. That is the most amazing vision.”

“Really, if Christians knew what they were about, they should be people who are out there making the world COME ALIVE. Making new things happen, and opening new possibilities.”

Well, I think Tim Mackie and Jon Collins’s workmanship in developing “The Bible Project” displays all of what N.T. Wright describes above!

The duo’s combined creativity of Jon’s storytelling and Tim’s bible knowledge – and their awe and excitement for God’s word – delivers a very engaging and innovative medium for demonstrating biblical insights.

Tim and Jon note that the bible can be “confusing and intimidating for the average reader, and their goal was to create short animated videos to help the reader understand the structure and the themes of the bible.” And they accomplish just that – for viewers of all ages. I was so struck by the simplicity of their work, yet the breadth of material these videos cover.

They have produced videos for EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE!

They have also created a Series that showcase different Biblical books from Genesis to Acts, Themes that trace key biblical themes from their first appearance through the entire narrative of the Bible, and Key biblical words in both Hebrew and Greek to gain a better understanding of biblical language. Click on any of the photos below to get a sample of these innovative expressions filled with rich insights.

This is a terrific resource to use with your kids. The younger ones will enjoy watching the stories, and the older ones will be able to easily pick up on all the main themes. 

So head on over to the Bible Project and watch how the bible unfolds as a “unified story that leads directly to Jesus.”

(Please note: I know that there is no bible study resource that will not conflict with the finer points of someone’s theology,

however I think for a broad overview of biblical themes, this is a valuable resource.)